Petrol pump prices rised above 120p a litre for the first time since 2014

A survey of 20,055 AA members in February found that a quarter of them are restricting their car use and one in seven is cutting back on non-fuel spending to compensate for the higher cost of keeping their vehicles on the road.

AA spokesman Luke Bosdet said: “Better fuel efficiency is one reason for lower petrol consumption, although new petrol cars outnumbered new diesel cars by 2.6 per cent last year and still petrol consumption continues to fall. However, the highest pump prices since December 2014 have taken their toll.

“The same is happening in the US, where petrol consumption is down more than two per cent than a year ago.

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A quarter of AA members claimed they were restricting their car use

“There is a breaking point for consumer budgets when the cost of road fuel rises and, in the UK, 120ppl or more seems to have found it.”

Diesel consumption at the start of the year was down 5.6 per cent on January 2015 but was up 5.1 per cent compared to five years ago.

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Drivers of diesel cars could face higher taxes as a result of a Government review plan

Drivers of diesel vehicles could face higher taxes as a result of a Government review planned for later this year.

Compared to petrol cars, diesel engines emit more particulate pollution which has been linked to thousands of premature deaths a year in Britain.